


When the Rain Comes

by East_Of_Akkala



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Post-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:39:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/East_Of_Akkala/pseuds/East_Of_Akkala
Summary: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a rainy night.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	When the Rain Comes

**Author's Note:**

> I've been stumbling through my old fics, most of which were written a LONG while ago, and found that this was actually pretty decent. I dusted it off, added a bit, and am sharing it here. Hope you enjoy!

The rain fell over Coruscant, pouring out from the heavens as though some larger being were dumping bucket after bucket of water down. Rarely did it rain this hard on the urban planet, hard enough that one could wonder whether the Weather Controllers were malfunctioning in this quarter. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi, for his part, loved the rain. Most rainy nights, he didn't even sleep, just headed to the window of his apartment to watch the rainstorm. When he'd been young, storms had frightened him with their thunder and lightning. That had been before he'd been a padawan, before Qui-Gon had begun showing him that rain was beautiful. The Jedi master had always treasured rainy nights; it had been he who had begun the tradition of taking Obi-Wan to the window to observe the rain. Even as he'd gotten older, gradually become an adult, he and his master had observed their rainy nights together. It had become a private little meditation for two, a way to observe the Living Force. 

Tonight, however, the rain didn't bring Obi-Wan contentment at all. It just made him sad, made the grief all the heavier in his heart. This was the first rainy night he was to endure without his master by his side. Qui-Gon had only been gone a month.

The young Jedi had been struggling with his emotions since that horrid day on Naboo. He wanted to be able to release them properly, but they continued to hover in his brain, never leaving him alone. The grief and loneliness in particular were stubborn, easily called and difficult to banish. Sometimes he feared that he would be pulled to the Dark Side on a current of these emotions, they were so strong. He didn't know who to talk to, _how_. Most of his closest friends had been either too busy or too awkward to help. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. Even though this was painful, he simply couldn't stay in bed. That would probably hurt him even worse, remind him that his master was gone, that they would never again pass a rainy night together in contented silence. He rose and left his room to find to the largest window in their apartment, then sat quietly on the floor. 

"It's beautiful tonight, Master," he murmured after a few minutes of simply watching the rain slice across the sky. He could almost imagine Qui-Gon sitting silently by his side, calmly observing the speeders flashing past, the blurring of colors that came from the rain, the drops of life-bringing water falling to earth. The Living Force was rarely stronger on Coruscant than on rainy nights, and his master had always gotten quiet joy from that fact. Now, though, the Force signature that should've been pulsing with contentment at his side was silent.

A flash of light suddenly split the sky, managing to outshine even the brightest lights on the streets for a moment before it disappeared once more, the only reminder that it had been there a crackle of thunder that soon followed. 

Obi-Wan was so intent upon looking out the window, so intent upon _not_ looking around the apartment to remind himself that he was alone, that it took another flash and clap for him to realize he was not alone. A startled gasp of "Master!" drew his attention from the window. Mildly annoyed that his focus had been pulled, he turned to look towards his Padawan, who was standing in the doorway to the common room.

"What is it, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, voice a bit rougher than he would have liked.

"What's going on?" Anakin asked in response, bright eyes wide as he stared out the window.

"It's just a storm," the Jedi knight replied, turning his gaze back to the window. Lightning once more forked high above. "Haven't you ever seen one before?"

"No," Anakin replied, then once more his breath hitched when the thunder rattled the windows.

 _Oh, of course_ , Obi-Wan remembered, wanting to smack himself. Once more, he was reminded that Anakin hadn't been adjusting very well to Temple life and why. He may have been rather intelligent, but he had been born a slave, then lived in a family with a mother who loved him. Neither thing made him particularly suited for living in the Jedi Temple. So much was new to him, so much that Obi-Wan and the rest took for granted by now. Yes, perhaps it was normal for Initiates to fear storms, but at least they knew what they were.

Not to mention the fact that Anakin felt unwanted with his new Master, felt mistrusted by the Council, and knew no one else there. He said none of these things aloud, but his feelings were loud and easy to read.

Obi-Wan felt a pang of guilt. He didn't hate Anakin, not at all. In fact, his exuberance was rather endearing, when it wasn't overwhelming. He was also very kind, a virtue Obi-Wan always appreciated, particularly now. He deserved a better master. He deserved Qui-Gon Jinn.

Perhaps he should try something else now. Perhaps he should approach the situation as he knew his Master would. As his Master had.

"Come here, Anakin," he said, gesturing for the Padawan to come to the window. Anakin obeyed, quietly going to sit next to Obi-Wan.

"There's nothing to fear from a storm," he offered. "Especially since we're inside."

"Does it rain a lot?" Anakin asked here. Obi-Wan just shook his head and continuously watched the outside. A flash of lighting suddenly hit close, and the thunder was so loud it rattled the windows.

"What's that?!" Anakin yelped.

"Lighting," Obi-Wan explained. "It won't hurt us as long as we're inside."

Anakin, eyes still round, nodded.

"What _is_ it?" he asked.

"It's electricity. It comes with storms. It takes some getting used to, for sure," the young man explained. "But I find storms quite beautiful."

"You do?" the boy asked.

"Of course," he replied. "Perhaps you will someday as well."

Anakin nodded dubiously.

"Watch the storm with me, Anakin," he said, doing his best not to make the words sound like a command.

"Why?"

"Because it's beautiful," answered the Jedi simply. Something niggled at the back of his mind. No, he owed the boy a better explanation. Exhaling and allowing his breath to hitch for a moment, he added, "Qui-Gon and I always used to watch storms together."

"Oh," said Anakin quietly, then lapsed into silence. Obi-Wan realized after he remained quiet in spite of a particularly loud clap of thunder that he had understood. That small fact and all its implications touched him deeply. Anakin was willing to put aside his own fears or questions for the sake of his master, simply to help him stick to an old tradition. Perhaps there was hope for their new partnership after all. 

"Do you want to know anything else, Anakin?" he asked softly.

"No," replied the boy. "But I think I'm still a bit scared."

Obi-Wan exhaled. Of course it was to be expected that a simple explanation of what a storm was wouldn't exactly comfort the boy. He wanted to help Anakin, but he also wanted to spend a rainy night in peace himself. What was he to do?

Then he remembered something he'd noticed Anakin do quite a lot. Particularly around Qui-Gon, when he'd still been alive, the boy had reached out to hold his hand, cling to his side, or the like. He'd been doing the same with Obi-Wan lately, who had admittedly brushed him off more often than his Master had. Perhaps touch would comfort the boy now.

"Come here, Anakin," he repeated his earlier words, once again struggling to walk the line between giving a suggestion or a command. It was something he would have to learn as he continued as Anakin's master. For now, though, all that mattered was that the boy obeyed, remaining seated as he cautiously slid a bit closer until he was within arm's reach. Obi-Wan caught his hand in his own and squeezed it gently.

"It's alright," the young master said said. "If you want to keep watching the rain with me, feel free. If not, I'll take you back to your bed."

"I'll stay," Anakin replied, his own grip tightening on Obi-Wan's hand and a small smile coming to his face. This was the first true affection he'd been shown since coming to Coruscant.

After a moment, Master and Padawan returned their gazes to the window, where the rain fell more softly now. Everything looked clean and refreshed; even the speeders seemed to gleam anew. In the rain-scattered light, things looked gentler as well.

In the Force, Qui-Gon Jinn watched the scene with contentment.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually prefer writing Anakin a little older than he is here, but there's a lot of potential to explore his and Obi-Wan's relationship when it's brand new...maybe I'll write more about them at some point. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


End file.
